Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
Late 20th Century Austrian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Iron
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Marble, Metal, Chrome
1970s German Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1980s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Ceramic
20th Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
20th Century Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1950s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic, Rubber
19th Century German Antique Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Lacquer
1980s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1970s English Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal, Gold
Late 20th Century Peruvian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
1990s Unknown Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1940s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Birdseye Maple
1990s European Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
1960s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper, Linen
Late 20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Resin, Wood
20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
2010s Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
Late 20th Century German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal, Brass
1970s Peruvian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Late 20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic, Paint
Early 2000s Australian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
1980s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Mid-20th Century Mexican Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silver
1980s English Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
Early 2000s French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Mid-20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
1920s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Chrome
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
Early 2000s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1930s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather, Paper
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
1970s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Marble, Copper
20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather
20th Century Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
20th Century Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper